


Winter Solstice

by LadyNikita



Series: Curse of Strahd One-Shots [1]
Category: Curse of Strahd - Fandom, Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: All will be well, Calm Before The Storm, Fluff, Gen, I Didn't Tell You That But This Takes Place Right Before Strahd's First Encounter With Ireena, Implied Angst Because It's Barovia, So Shhhh, it's winter solstice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28087323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNikita/pseuds/LadyNikita
Summary: Basically a short story I wrote for my players because they're in love with Ismark (you're welcome <3)An attempt at fluff in Barovia, this is the best that they can have sorry.
Series: Curse of Strahd One-Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100255
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Winter Solstice

It was a cold and stormy evening in the Village of Barovia. The hour wasn't late, but barovian winter had this way of shortening the already painfully short hours of daylight, and it was beginning to darken. Ismark adjusted his coat to better cover him from the cold and watched the snow fall on the empty streets. He gave a quick glance at the door next to which he was standing and tucked his hands in his pockets, stepping in place to fight off stiffness. A little girl in bright a brightly colored coat showed her head from around the corner and looked at him curiously. Ismark smiled slightly. She approached him, holding a teddy bear in her arms, and looked up at him.  
"I like your sword," she said with purpose and seriousness in her voice. Ismark raised his eyebrows.  
"Do you?"  
"Are you a knight?" Ismark had to laugh.  
"Not a knight, kiddo. But I am a warrior as one may say."  
She nodded and straightened her back.  
"I will also be a knight when I grow up," she said, her voice full of pride. "I will fight the night monsters!"  
Ismark smiled at her with a little pity. He did not wish such fate upon this little girl, who was showing signs of hope, a thing so rare in these lands.  
"What's your name?" He asked, looking around. "Where are your parents?"  
"I'm Alana," she smiled and pointed at the teddy bear. "And this is Tori. What's your name?"  
In that moment, a woman walked around the corner from whence the girl had come and she spotted her small figure in the fading light of the day.  
"Alana! Come here this instant, it's almost dark!"  
Alana made an exaggerated guilty face to Ismark and laughed under her nose. Ismark shook his head with amusement and pointed at her mother.  
"Go, Alana, get to safety."  
"What's your name?" She insisted, looking at the man with big, blue eyes. Ismark sighed.  
"I'm Ismark Kolyanovich. Now go, it soon won't be safe here."  
"What about you, though?" She frowned with worry. Ismark put a hand on his sword and smiled slightly.  
"I'm a knight, remember?"  
Alana's face shone with a bright smile and she quickly ran back to her mother. Ismark followed them with his eyes, feeling some kind of a longing. A longing for a free spirit like that. For such a smile, unbothered by responsibility and for hope.  
The door behind him opened and his father came out, holding a package in his hand.  
"I got it all," he said, closing the door and handed the package to Ismark. "Your sister will be over the moon."  
Ismark nodded and they begun walking towards their mansion.  
It the light of the day had almost faded completely when they reached the town square and headed south. The Blood of the Vine already closed for the night and the streets appeared empty. They quickly walked back to the house, a howl of a wolf sounding somewhere beyond the village. Ismark shuddered. He hated wolves.  
They announced their names and Ireena opened the door for them. The house was filled with the scents of cooked meat, spices and pastries. Ireena looked proud of herself and showed them to the dining room, which was decorated with branches of spruce, ribbons and candles. The fire in the fireplace was crackling pleasantly and the table was already set with three plates.  
"Reena, you have outdone yourself!" Kolyan said in awe and, after taking off his coat, he hugged her tightly. She returned the hug and tied a yellow ribbon around his left wrist. She then did the same to Ismark and eyed the package he was holding.  
"What's that?" She inquired curiously, but Ismark hid it behind his back.  
"A surprise," he answered ominously and placed it among other five packages by the fireplace.  
Dinner time had passed on friendly chatter and remarks on Ismark's impeccable cooking. He usually didn't have a lot of time to expand his cooking skills, but four times a year, on solstices and equinoxes, he put all of his heart into food. It was also an occasion for Kolyan to spend money on some more exotic to Barovia ingredients, as Vistani traders often visited the village in this time.  
They exchanged gifts after and together, they said a prayer to the Morninglord to grant them protection during the longest night of the year.  
Ismark found himself feeling anxiety in his gut. Last couple of years were pretty quiet and calm, but the longest night of the year in Barovia never fared well for the people. He looked at Ireena as they sat in friendly silence by the fireplace, and saw the same worry in her eyes. Their father had already excused himself to finish some paperwork in the study upstairs. Ireena got up and walked to the kitchen. She bustled about for a couple minutes and came back with two steaming mugs. She handed one to Ismark and sat back down.  
"What's that?" He asked, sniffing the mug suspiciously. It smelled herbal.  
"Chamomile," she answered, taking a careful sip. "I see you're nervous."  
Ismark looked down in thought.  
"I don't know why," he confessed, "but I have a feeling something bad is about to happen."  
Ireena bit her lip, looking into the fire.  
"I feel the same," she said with a frown. "But it surely means nothing."  
Ismark nodded and took a sip from his mug.  
"Yeah, you're right."


End file.
